Avinash Chhetry is the second cadet from North East and the first one from Assam to have received the President’s Gold Medal for topping NDA batch 2013-6. The young gentleman shall soon be joining IMA, Dehradun where his dream of becoming an army officer will finally become a reality. The journey has been exciting, but not without its fair share of challenges, Avinash walks down memory lane in a tell-all interview...
“The first North Easterner to receive the President’s Gold Medal (PGM) was the then Cadet Y Romen Singh of Manipur in May 2008, who also happens to be an alumnus of Rashtriya India Military College, just like me. I still remember the day when he was awarded the PGM, the results of RIMC entrance exams had been declared out and I was all set to join RIMC in July”, shares Avinash, the second cadet from North East and the first one from Assam to have won the prestigious President’s Gold Medal. He continues with much enthusiasm, “I had watched his interview on television and read about him in the newspapers. Today, when I find myself in his shoes, I realise that time actually flies!” ‘So, how does it feel being the first one from Assam to have achieved the remarkable feat?’ He answers the clichéd question, “The names of the medal winners were announced by the Commandant during the academy dinner night on May 28 at 2230 hrs in our Cadets’ mess. I have no words to express how I felt at that point of time and it is a feeling I will cherish for the rest of my life. What made me even happier was the pride so evident in the eyes of my parents, course-mates and instructors.
The cadet, who has no airs about himself, says, “Well, the term ‘NDA topper’ is a pretty strange one! Parents going through newspapers must be asking their children to study hard to be someone like me !” However, it is undeniable that topping NDA is no child’s play, “The PGM is awarded to a cadet who stands first in the overall order of merit during the stay at NDA. The disciplines that contribute to the merit include academics, officer-like qualities, games, outdoor training, drill, PT. So, academics is just one of the various fields in which one has to do well in order to be awarded the PGM.” Adds Avinash, making a valid point, “However, academics cannot be neglected. One has to study a lot at NDA, but at the same time, it is important to focus on everything other than academics too.” Avinash stood third in his BA (Social Science) stream at the end of his NDA tenure.
The army caught Avinash’s fancy during his childhood days that were spent in Tezpur, Assam, “Tezpur has an Army Corps HQ as well as an Air Force base. The presence of the army in my state was obviously a huge motivating factor for me to join the army. Every time I saw a fighter jet flying over my home, I couldn’t help but admire it. Soon enough, I found myself dreaming of flying a fighter jet. But when I joined RIMC , the exposure made me realise that it was better to be on the battlefield than up in the sky and that explains my inclination towards the army.” Besides, Avinash’s father , who is in a paramilitary force called Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and presently on deputation with the Bureau of Police Research and Development(BPR&D), Delhi served as a great inspiration to him, “He was an inspirational figure for me since my childhood days due to his dedication to work. He has recently been awarded with the prestigious Indian Police Medal for his service to the nation. At the same time, I was exposed to different places, cultures and gentry due to his frequent postings, which kindled a spirit of adventure and passion for travelling and exploring new places. Of course, only a career in army could satiate my appetite for these dreams. And not to forget, army isn’t a profession, but a way of life!”
Getting into RIMC is no cakewalk, no wonder then that Avinash is proud of having been a part of the esteemed institution, “I have spent the best five years of my life so far at RIMC, Dehradun, which is a mini India in itself as it has one vacancy for one cadet per state in each class.” He never runs out of words when he talks about the institute, “I made friends with cadets from across the country. The facilities that RIMC provides to its cadets for their all-round development rivals and is at times even better than the topnotch, expensive schools in Dehradun. ” “Before joining RIMC, I was studying at KV, Tezpur and RIMC was like a dream come true, after all, it is ranked by various surveys as one of the best boarding schools in India. RIMC ensures that the cadets inculcate and ingrain officer-like qualities necessary at an early stage, such as a deep sense of honour. For me, the best thing about RIMC is that this place taught me to think big and widen my horizons. I got to play games and sports like boxing, riding, golf etc which I had could never imagine experiencing at KV”. Studying at RIMC proved to be advantageous to Avinash in more ways than one, for it facilitated life at NDA and even cracking the SSB exam, “RIMC is a feeder institute for NDA and the regimen at the school is such that we don’t have to actually prepare for the SSB. However, we were guided well by the officers posted at RIMC and seniors throughout. Besides, studying at RIMC made my life at NDA much easier than my other coursemates, who were from public schools.
“We swear by a proverb at NDA, ‘Tough times don’t last, but tough men surely do’ . The training at NDA is naturally very challenging. But I can vouch for the fact that once you graduate from NDA, you started missing it all.” Avinash goes on to share his daily routine at NDA, “Our day used to start at 0430 hrs, followed by outdoor training, like drill or PT at 0610 hrs, followed by the classes, the service training and games in the evening. The day used to get over at 2230. Believe me, you will never even know when your day began and when it ended.”
“Commanding the Passing out Parade(POP) of an iconic institution like NDA was something I had never thought of!”, exclaims Avinash. Unlike his coursemates, who were excited about the POP, the young cadet had to constantly keep his focus and calm in the run-up to the POP.
As of now, the Cadet can’t wait to be a part of IMA, Dehradun, “Yes, I am definitely excited to go to Dehradun as I have spent my childhood there. As far as IMA is concerned, I will have to be grounded and leave everything behind. I will have to start everything from scratch. Undoubtedly, there are many expectations pinned on me and I will try and bring out the best in me in order to meet them. I am sure my seniors at IMA will guide me the same way they did at NDA.
When Avinash isn’t raving about the army, you are most likely to find him pursuing his hobbies, “During my free time I like doing photography and playing either the guitar or mouth organ. I am not a professional but yes, I have picked up these two instruments during my stay at NDA. I think being in the army, we must learn how to play at least one musical instrument so that we never feel alone even in the field area. I also love to travel to different places during vacations .” But how does he make time for it all? His reply convinces us that there is time for everything, “As far as taking out time is concerned , no one is ever busy, it’s just about setting priorities!” The Cadet signs off with a piece of advice for those who want to join the army, “Army is a noble profession where you get an opportunity to lead men who look up to you. All you need to do is just be passionate about donning the Olive Green and very soon, you will find yourself in my place!”
By Namrata Gulati Sapra
